1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a hairpiece for covering an area on the scalp of a user and, more particularly, to a wear-durable hairpiece for simulating a natural hairline at the front of the head of the user, as well as to a novel method of making the hairpiece.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of hairpieces and methods of making the same are well known. Typically, the hairpiece includes a base or foundation which conforms to the contour of the scalp area to be covered, and a multitude of hairs is attached to the foundation. In a so-called "hard front" hairpiece of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,421,521; 3,605,761; 3,971,392 and 4,202,359, an edge binding, preferably a ribbon strip or a fiber tape, is bent over and stitched along the entire peripheral edge of the foundation. However, the presence of the edge binding, particularly at the front of the head of the user, creates an embarrassing visual indication of the presence of a hairpiece unless the edge binding is concealed. This is typically accomplished by forwardly combing the attached hair to cover the edge binding. However, the forwardly combed hair also disguises the hairline at the upper forehead area of the user's head. Hence, the hard front hairpiece does not lend itself to brush-back hair styles wherein the hair is combed rearwardly of the hairline at the upper forehead area.
In order to permit a user requiring a hairpiece to be groomed with a brush-back hair style, a so-called "lace front" hairpiece of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,814,301 has been proposed. The lace front hairpiece has a foundation constituted of a lace mesh on which a multitude of hairs is attached, and a front lace extension on which no hairs are attached. The foundation mesh overlies the scalp area to be covered, and the front lace extension overlies the upper forehead area. The front lace extension extends substantially forwardly, typically on the order of 1/2 inch, away from the hairs attached to the foundation mesh. The front lace extension is used to create a natural hairline effect at the upper forehead area so that the lowest line of attached hair, when viewed from the front, appears to be actually growing out of the scalp and terminating at an acceptable hairline.
Although generally satisfactory for its intended purpose, the prior art lace front hairpiece suffers from many drawbacks. For example, the front lace extension must be adhered to the upper forehead area, not only to properly anchor the front of the hairpiece, but also to prevent its fraying, curling up, bending under itself, or otherwise deforming its shape. Any such deformation is unsightly and would, of course, readily indicate that a hairpiece is present, thereby detracting from the user's overall appearance. A special liquid adhesive that dries with a matte finish is typically applied over the front lace extension to make the presence of the same less noticeable and conspicuous to others. In addition, flesh-colored make-up may be applied over the extension to assist in making its appearance less obvious. The procedure of applying the adhesive, which typically takes several minutes, and waiting for the adhesive to dry, upon each use of the hairpiece, of course, necessitates the concomitant procedure of subsequently removing the hairpiece. This removal is typically effected by applying an acetone or similar substance over the adhesive to break the adhesive bond.
Over a period of time, the acetone will not only attack the extension itself and cause it to deform, but will also attack the skin on the user's upper forehead, thereby tending to dry out the skin. Often, the acetone undesirably seeps into the spaces between the attached hairs and attacks them. The deformed extension must, from time to time, be trimmed away to remove the curled up or bent under free end, thereby leaving a shorter extension by which to attach the front of the hairpiece and, of course, increasing the likelihood that the adhesive and/or the acetone will seep into the spaces between the hairs and attack the same.
The lace front hairpieces are typically used by actors, theatrical people and others whose occupations and vanity require the appearance of a natural hairline at the front of the head. To disguise the existence of the lace front extension, aside from using the aforementioned matte adhesives and flesh-colored make-up, the lace extension, as well as the entire lace foundation, are made of very fine fibers, thereby rendering the entire hairpiece very flimsy and fragile. Such fragile hairpieces require careful handling and typically last only about six to nine months. Such careful handling and short lifetime are of little concern to professional actors and the like where professional make-up artists and high budgets are readily available. However, such careful handling is usually beyond the skill of the average person, and such brief liftimes are too short for the average person who wishes a hairpiece to last for much longer time periods and to bear up well under the wear and tear of everyday use, particularly when the average user will apply the hairpiece every morning and remove it every night without the aid of professional make-up artists.
Other prior art hairpieces are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,670,741; 3,722,517; 3,553,737 and 3,970,092. Still further, ultrasonic methods used for joining hairs and for the manufacture of locks of hair are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,642,010 and 4,377,427. Also, ultrasonic techniques are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,447,540; 3,525,653 and 3,733,243.